Dom Pérignon 2017

The 2017 growing season was one of the most volatile in recent history, plagued by devastating late August rain and widespread rot. Rather than skipping the vintage entirely, Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon enforced an uncompromising, hyper-strict selection process. The result is a historic anomaly—the smallest Dom Pérignon release ever produced by volume (amounting to just a three-month global supply). It is also structurally unique, built on an unusually dominant 61% Chardonnay and 39% Pinot Noir blend, and finished with a precision 4.5 g/L dosage.

The 2017 Dom Pérignon is a stunning, wild, and exotic triumph that stands as a true monument to viticultural resilience and extreme precision. Strikingly defined by its high Chardonnay content, this wine behaves like a sleeker, more refined sibling to the legendary, opulent 2002 vintage. In the glass, it commands a deep golden-yellow color with a fine, pillow-soft, and remarkably creamy mousse that gracefully fills the glass. 

The bouquet is instantly cerebral, voluptuous, and beautifully expressive, soaring from the glass with a brilliant core of lemon confit, marzipan, white jasmine flowers, and crushed chalk. As it breathes, the house's signature, reductive flinty smoke and gunsmoke reduction ground the top notes. It uncoils to reveal deeper secondary layers of orange peel, dried apricot, cacao bean, and burnt buttered toast, seamlessly moving between tension, opulence, and an enticing edge. 

On the palate, the wine delivers immense concentration, structural weight, and a deep mid-palate creaminess that has knit together flawlessly. It is full-bodied and rich, flooding the mouth with layers of dried apples, lemon meringue, and grilled lemons. Rather than feeling overly heavy from the solar August heat, it is beautifully animated by a racy spine of vibrant acidity. An attractively bitter, sophisticated touch of structuring phenolics anchors the fruit, providing incredible grip, cadence, and texture. The finish is an absolute powerhouse—broad, resonant, and exceptionally long, tapering into a sapid finale marked by sea salt, leesy bread, and lingering citrus zest. 

Drinking Window:

Because of its tiny production, this exotic masterpiece will vanish from the market almost instantly. It is extraordinarily expressive, open-knit, and immensely rewarding to enjoy right out of the gates today. However, its superb phenolic concentration and energetic acid profile ensure it will comfortably evolve and gain further toasty complexity in the cellar over the next 15+ years. Peak drinking window: 2026–2042

“In 2017, pressure was on Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy, who had decided not to produce the 2016 vintage for Dom Pérignon. Late August rainy weather destroyed the promising harvest year, and grapes needed to be collected rapidly under deteriorating conditions. Even with Dom Pérignon’s enviable sourcing and options for selection, 2017 ended up being the smallest harvest to date, worth a mere three months’ sales. Chardonnay, a big part from Chouilly. dominates this Dom Pérignon with its 61% share. In the remaining 39% Pinot Noir part, Bouzy rather unusually represents the biggest share. The nose opens beautifully with an inviting toasty and smoky twist over a ripe stone fruit profile. Laudably clean, with no signs of botrytis tones. The palate is held together by invigorating acidity and a bite of phenolics at the finish. Sensually textured and alluring, this is a Dom Pérignon that is ready to charm, with a somewhat shorter lifespan expected than for its most monumental iterations.”